Archived Story: A Village United
by Orpheus Kidwell
Summary: Uploaded for archival purposes. Kushina was successfully kidnapped, but by Iwa, not Kumo. After Deidara's infamous bombing, Naruto is left an orphan, to be raised by Han of the Steam Armor.
1. Prologue

**A Village United**

**And finally getting around to uploading archives of my old stories again. This is one that actually never got posted to this account, but was on my secondary account. Remember, this is an archive and I don't want anyone to think that updating is guaranteed, but who knows?**

**Prologue: A Different Legacy**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. All rights reserved by Masashi Kishimoto and Shonen Jump. **

"You wished to see me, Tsuchikage-sama?" A large man questioned as he stepped into the office belonging to the strongest shinobi in all of the Village Hidden in Stones. He was tall and well-muscled, wearing what appeared to be red, scaled, samurai armor and a black gi with ripped sleeves over that. Over his armor, hanging from his neck, was a bronze-colored ring. Around the gi was his hitai-ite, on a black cloth, almost appearing like a belt. The lower half of his face was covered by a red mask and atop his head was a conical hat – both of the same color and material as his armor. White cloth extended from under the hat so that only his eyes and a small area around them were the visible portions of his flesh.

"Han, yes, I am in need of your particular... background for a mission of utmost importance to the village." Han – who figured the short, hovering man was talking about his jinchuuriki status – sighed but nodded. "You see, it is in regards to the attack six months ago, and something has come up."

"Wait... you mean the bombing? What has happened?" Han wondered, recalling when a rogue member of the Bakuhatsu – Iwagakure's resident clan who held the Explosion Release – and his lover released a large bomb on the village for some reason or another that only was known to them. His lover had died, but Deidara escaped unscathed.

"Precisely the very event." Oonoki explained. "Something... potentially wonderful has come out of the rubble of the morose events that led to thousands of deaths and ten fold of that in injuries. Not to mention the property damages." He sighed. "That damn blonde was always good at giving me paperwork as high at Mt. Raijin..."

"Oonoki-sama, what could have come out of the chaos that is good?" Han wondered.

"Potentially miraculous." The Sandaime Tsuchikage corrected. "You see, to the knowledge of only two ANBU, one medic and myself – and now you – Deidara's accomplice didn't die. She was, in fact, mortally wounded but kept alive by the efforts of medical chakra, fuuinjutsu and her special... abilities." Han frowned under his mask.

"But... why?" He had to ask. "There could not be any reason to keep her alive... not in my mind at least." Oonoki chuckled and flew down to his desk, where he picked up a basket from his seat and placed it on the desk. Han's eyes widened. "N-no... that can't be..."

"Oh, but it is. And I wish for you to be responsible. Burdened by the same curse you are as well as his parents sins, I wish for you to be young Naruto's guardian." Han looked down at the boy, three whisker marks etched on either cheek, a patch of blonde hair on his head and a seal on his stomach he recognized as the same he had on his own back... a strange seal only those in Iwa knew... a deal...

"He has _that _seal, Tsuchikage-sama... you used your dust to write it... I want to use my position to write a new one." He made eye contact with the old – but very powerful – man. "My brother, leave him be. I will raise and train young – Naruto was his name? - Naruto as my own son. I will raise him to be as strong as I am if not more. That is the deal you will make with me for this mission."

The Third Earth Shadow smiled. "I had a feeling you would say that, so I have already struck his name from the Bingo Books, as far as anyone knows, Roushi of the Four Tails is already dead. Congratulations on your new son... Han."

Han sighed and looked back at the boy, recalling the first time he ever saw his mother... all the way back then before the last War.

**[][][]**

"Heh, idiot brat. Did he really think he could take on a team of Jōnin trained to take in a jinchuuriki?" A gruff voice asked his comrades, all of the group in Kumo hitai-ites and Jōnin uniforms. "What a fool." A muffled voice came from his feet, so the man kicked a bound and gagged girl with long, red hair, causing a whimper. "Oh, shut it. Raikage-sama is a lot better than that old Hokage leading your village." The group began chuckling until suddenly a shadow overcast all of the moonlight they saw by. Looking up, there was a large... thing above them.

"What is that?" One of them asked as they all took out blades, looking into the sky. Without warning, suddenly pieces of the... thing dropped and each time a piece hit the floor, it caused a large explosion. The first one sent all of the Kumo ninja back in a backlash, leaving the redhead unscathed. As they shakily stood back up, two of the ninja suddenly found it impossible to move steam erupted around their bodies from the ground below them, almost like a geyser. Deep screams of pain and death filled the air and nearly overtook the bombardment of explosive matter that still dropped from the sky like a rainstorm of mines.

"Steam? Come out whoever you are!" The first shinobi demanded as he looked around at the remaining five underlings he had from his squad. In the middle of the six remaining shinobi, two figures appeared. The first was a large man in a mask and shrouded in a veil of mist, a figure that struck fear into the Jōnin, all six of them. "H-han of the Steam Armor!" The leader shouted and then looked at the other one. "G-gari of the Explosive Fist!"

Han's cold eyes stared from above his facemask at the leader, silent as death he was sure to bring upon them. Neither of the two moved, and the rain of explosive material continued until suddenly both of the men disappeared and each took out one man, an explosion on one side and an eruption of steam on the other.

"Don't just stand there, fight back, imbeciles!" The leader commanded, this seemed to trigger something in his trio of henchmen and they rushed forward. One brought out a sparking katana and would have slashed into Han's armor if he didn't bat it aside with his armored arm before punching the man in the gut, a burst of steam from his furnace launching him into a second man. The first had horrible burns on his stomach that would kill him and the second obviously sported grievous bone fractures from the impact of being thrown into a large boulder and shattering it.

The third one seemed hesitant after that, but was remedied as Gari appeared above her and slammed his fist into the ground where her feet lay, an explosion launching her skyward before gravity took its course and left her a bloody mess. The leader was defenseless as the seven others in his squad were taken out easily. Han looked right at him. "What was that about 'trained to take in a jinchuuriki'?"

"Hehe... not one of your caliber, obviously..." He gulped. "Who sent you and for what?" The question came as the rain stopped and a third member of the squad appeared from the air, blonde and young, maybe only ten or eleven with bangs covering one of his eyes.

"Should we tell him, yeah?" A young Deidara wondered, looking at his two superior officers. Han shrugged. "The Tsuchikage found out about your plan, yeah. He doesn't think Kumo or Konoha deserve the Kyuubi, so we're taking the jinchuuriki, yeah. And no witnesses." As he said that, the leader noticed a dove near the blonde brat that tried taking them down... a clay dove. Without warning, it suddenly exploded in a ground-shaking blast.

Looking at the ground, he then noted a spider of the same material... it didn't take a genius to know what was coming next, so he made peace with the gods even as he was consumed in a fiery ball and left this world...

**[][][]**

Blinking as he left memory lane, Han looked down at the boy once more. "Surely you know what will happen to him if his heritage is learned?" Oonoki sighed.

"Sadly, his parentage is worse for him than his prisoner. It is a challenge he must overcome though. I fear that spies will always be present and it will not be very long until one within our ranks leaks the information. You must never leave his side and least of all Deidara must _never _learn of his existence. There is no way we could handle him so soon after the last attack and there are few things worse than the wrath a father can bring down in regards to saving his son."

Han grunted non-committally, unsure what that was like, never being the son or father in such a situation. "I will keep the secret of his heritage guarded. No one but myself will know, not even Naruto unless I feel he must learn of it." Oonoki nodded.

"I'm glad I could count on you, Han. Now, leave, I have more paperwork. Oh... and if you find out what the barter his seal creates, please tell me. Each of the jinchuuriki I have used that seal on seem to be different. His should be interesting, considering his heritage."

"Of course, Tsuchikage-sama. By your leave." Han took up young Naruto in his arms before leaving in a swirl of steam, leaving the ancient leader alone. He sighed as he was deep within the walls of solitude once more.

_ I really thought you might be the one to take my mantle and finally unite the factions of this village, Deidara... then _she _captured your heart... I suppose I must keep this hat a while yet. I just hope someone can finally do what Mu and I couldn't. Only then can I choose a successor..._


	2. Chapter I

**A Village United**

**Chapter I: The Barter**

_ The northwest corner of the continent known as the Elemental Nations was home to two countries with high power but merciless landscapes. Iron Country, a snowscape of hellish blizzards and unforgiving, bitter cold was the first; it was home to the largest collection of samurai in this world full of shinobi that anyone knew of. Defensible and peaceful, it acted as a neutral party that could stand evenly any of the Five Great Nations._

_ It's neighbor to the east was one of those very countries, the Land of Earth. It's name was no accident as this was a harsh landscape of rocky wastelands, deep trenches, sheer cliffs, gouging valleys cut into the ground and even __boasting__ the largest mountain range __on the continent, __along its eastern border. __It was known by the shinobi as an__ 'impenetrable Earth wall' said to have created by the Rikudou Sennin himself during his fight with the great Ten-Tailed Demon that sought to destroy the world in its rampage._

_ Near this very mountain range, the Spine of the World, was a certain village. Specifically it was the Village Hidden in Stones. True to this ninja village's name, it was located on a rocky plain with jagged rocks all around it, sheer cliffs on three sides and a narrow, serpentine passage to get up to the plateau it was built upon._

_ The single entrance to the village was a gate located a few meters from the end of the trail up to the plateau, guarded by no less than two Chuunin at any time. Through the gate – which was made of highly reinforced chakra-generated stone augmented with barrier seals – one would find themselves in a narrow passageway with high walls on either side. Those walls were made of imported chakra steel straight from __Rai no Kuni__ and __laden__ with intricate seals drawn by Iwagakure's greatest sealmasters at its creation. Dozens of traps were within those intricate drawings that could be activated by the PEAK Black Ops members in charge of patrolling the walls for any danger._

_ Past that passageway, there was another gate guarded by another set of Chuunin made of the same chakra steel as the walls the passageway was. Once one made it past that second gateway, they would finally find their way into the first level of the third strongest Hidden Village. This was the Market District of Iwagakure, containing all the various civilian shops and restaurants of the ninja village. It was at one of these very shops that a certain duo of jinchuuriki just walked inside..._

**[][][]**

"Welcome to Souryuu's Scribe Supplies! How can I help you?" Behind the desk sat an elderly man who wore a pair of slim, oval spectacles over his brown eyes. Thin white hair fell down over the top of his ears but with bangs trimmed so his entire forehead was shown. This revelaed a thin, white scar over his otherwise tan complexion that stretched horizontally a few centimeters above his thin and grey eyebrows. As for clothing, the merchant was wearing a rather formal yukata of light blue with darker blue trim on the edges and a purple obi tying it tight so no flesh was exposed – not even his hands which donned dark blue gloves.

First amongst the pair that made their way inside was a man known internationally by his moniker, Han of the Steam Armor. He was followed by a young boy who had a look of intelligence and deviousness behind his blue eyes. His hair was a pale blonde that fell to his shoulders with one of his bangs in the front coming down over his right eye, though it was still visible through the strands. The boy had three whisker-like marks on either of his cheeks just below his eyes and a light complexion that was not quite tan but not pale either. Around his neck he wore a bronze-colored ring that the taller man with him had gifted to him not long ago. The boy had a black shirt on with the symbol of a red spiral on his right shoulder and black shorts, sandals on his feet with red straps and a silver ring on his thumb that looked as if it barely fit there.

"Ah, Han-san, Naruto-chan. Here for your order then?" The larger man nodded assent as the pair made their way to the counter where the merchant placed a box of scrolls, inkwells and brushes that Han inspected without touching, simply glancing over them. With another nod, he placed the box on the floor as he pulled out a scroll of his own and unsealed a stack of ryou, handing it to the man behind the desk.

"Arigatou, Souryuu-san." Han thanked the man. "I am glad to do business with you." The older man chuckled.

"Well, I'm happy to sell to anyone willing to pay. I remember starting from nothing but the pay I could scrounge from my work at inns around this village and saving up to buy this shop, nothing but a dream of one day living comfortably. I remember that time of my life each and every day I wake up and never want my children or grandchildren to experience it. I am more than happy to oblige anyone who wishes to be my client, from the lowliest civilian to even a high-ranking shinobi like yourself."

Han nodded, glancing at the ground to see the boy known as Naruto holding a scroll in hand and the box gone. "Good, Naruto." The blonde smiled up at the much larger man.

"Hai, tou-chan." He held the scroll out for him, which he accepted with a simple nod before bowing his head slightly to Souryuu.

"I will likely have another order for you soon, Souryuu-san, the way my son goes through his fuinjutsu training and experiments is quite frightening." Souryuu couldn't help but laugh loudly.

"That boy is too smart for his own good, I wish you the best of luck." Han nodded and turned around, Naruto following right behind him as he made his way out of the shop. Through the double doors, they left the shelves of scrolls, brushes, inkwells and other materials a scribe could possibly desire for their duties in lieu of the Market District's wide streets.

Nearly as soon as the pair's feet hit the public streets, it began. Naruto had grown used to it and pretended not to notice since if he acknowledged them, it only made his tou-chan either saddened or very angry. He didn't like tou-chan to be either way and if he was at fault, he especially didn't like it. So he didn't even pay attention to the stares each person directed at him, he ignored the whispers as best he could, he tried to block out the pressure he felt as their attention was on him. It felt like that Killer Intent tou-chan had often told him of that some ninja could weaponize.

_ "Look, it's _his _spawn. How can Tsuchikage-sama let him walk the streets? After all the trouble that man caused... he should know better..."_

_ "How long until we have another instance like we did six and a half years ago? So many ninja and civilians were injured and killed by those two, and you know that they birthed him right?"_

_ "He's a natural born killer... he's got his mother's demon and his father's bloodline, I heard. Not even the Bakuhatsu will take him in... they said that Deidara and his entire line were forever banished from the clan, never to return and even put up a majority of the bounty for the Mad Bomber that Tsuchikage-sama is offering for his head, you know."_

It was hard for the six year old boy, but he had grown accustomed to it. The whispers, the glares, the hatred, it was a part of his life but as long as he had tou-chan with him, he would keep it out. His tou-chan was the only one he needed!

Han looked sadly down upon his 'son' and had to hold back a sigh. _Naruto... you try so hard to hide it, but I can see it plain as day. I know you see it, hear it, fe__e__l it... but you make me proud when you try to protect me. I don't understand why Deidara or Kushina did what they did... but you have to pay each and every day for their crimes and I can't stand it... that man will have much to answer for when he is found. I care not for what the people of the village want, but answer for why he left you behind._

"Tou-chan!" Han shook from his internal monologue and looked at the blonde who pointed to a door. "We're here!" With an invisible smile due to his mask, Han nodded and channeled chakra to his hand, placing it upon a stone door of a rather large, two-story abode made of stone created by Kitsuchi himself as a gift for Han for saving his sister over a decade ago on a mission they had together.

As his hand touched the door, symbols glowed along the surface before fading as Han disabled the security seals on his home he shared with the six year old beside him. As they were disabled, the stone slab that acted as an entryway slid into the wall, allowing entrance. As the two made their way inside, the slab shut once more, seal arrays glowing to show the seal network was once again armed to keep any hostiles outside and prevent the denizens who lived within from being harmed.

Han now walked behind his son instead of ahead as the boy made his way forward. He already knew Naruto was heading to his study. It was once a guest room, but Han had set things up so he'd have a place for his studies and personal projects. It was quite amusing to him how smart Naruto was, despite his impulsive and possibly deranged parentage, though he knew exactly where that intelligence came from.

Naruto's study was a rather large room with a single desk against the far wall, a floor-to-ceiling scroll case on one wall and open aside from those. Currently the only thing it was used for was when Naruto was working on fuinjutsu – a skill that was natural to him as a bloodline. Even at six, he was more skilled than most Chuunin could comprehend.

"Thank you for getting me these, tou-chan!" Naruto suddenly spoke up as he put the scroll in the case before hugging the large man's leg since he only came up to just above his knees. "You're the best!" Han chuckled at the wording. Most boys his age would want toys or to go outside, but from the moment Naruto learned about shinobi – and about Han being one – he had wanted to become one and spent all his time learning anything he could on the subject. Fuinjutsu was the simplest for him to do right now though, thanks to his size.

"You are very welcome, Naruto. I'll make some lunch, so why don't you continue your studies?" The blonde nodded vigorously as he let go, leaving Han alone to watch him grab a scroll and begin decoding what another seal he was learning did. _Soon enough we'll have to start you on something other than chakra control or fuinjutsu, Naruto... and thanks to that Barter Seal that holds the Kyuubi, I thank I know just what to do._

**[][][]**

"Well, how has his training progressed, Han?" The Five-Tails jinchuuriki looked upon the much smaller, much older but nonetheless much more powerful shinobi who had originally given him this mission and contemplated how he should respond to the statement. Finally, after taking a long sip of his tea, he found a way to answer that he was comfortable with.

"Well, Tsuchikage-sama, even at just six and a half years old, Naruto shows quite a bit of potential from what I can tell. Obviously he has little skill in taijutsu – though I should point out he has quite a bit of endurance and speed for someone his age – that is something that would be obvious given his age. Because of his tenant, genjutsu and medical ninjutsu are both options that would be far more effort than they are worth given his inclination to be a fighter like me."

The short man nodded, motioning for the Gobi no Jinchuuriki to continue his report. "Given my particular style, there is only so much I can directly teach him, but I will do my best. It is safe to say that I figured out both sides of his Barter Seal though." Oonoki smiled at this.

"Oh? This should be interesting. I recall that both Roushi and your Barters were at first a bit strange but proved extremely useful in the long run." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. The Barter Seal that Iwagakure used on its jinchuuriki had the side-effect of altering one's chakra in strange ways. Generally speaking, it removed one's ability in one area to boost one's ability in another. It was something that Mu had received an Uzumaki far before Iwagakure was created, though Oonoki never asked how he had got it. "Is it similar at all to yours?" Han let loose a deep sigh upon this question, shaking his head.

"It is actually an opposite in some ways. While my Barter gave me immense talent in nature manipulation in exchange for my shape manipulation it seems that Naruto has lost his basic elemental manipulation in exchange for heightened intellect." Oonoki frowned at this. "Oddly, it didn't affect his affinities though..."

"Explain, Han. You said basic elemental manipulation so I assume he can still use...?" Han nodded a single time to the Sandaime's unspoken inquiry.

"Well, I tested his affinities just a few months ago, probably a day or two after our run to Souryuu's to get him more fuinjutsu supplies. I had him use a piece of chakra paper and what happened was... strange. When he channeled chakra into it, the paper was cut in half with both side crumpling before becoming ashes and then everything exploded into small bursts, leaving not a trace. He has the affinities, but after much testing, he can't even affect the normal elements except to... to..."

"To what, Han?" The man couldn't help but chuckle lightly.

"His chakra has only two variations. He has normal chakra... and when he infuses the second type into objects, they explode upon physical impact with another object. It's not quite Deidara's style, but not quite his uncle Gari's either... almost like a meshing." Oonoki nodded at this particular insight before smirking. "Oonoki-sama?"

"Well, given just that bit of information I can already see that Naruto's potential far outshines his father's. While he can't use Katon, Fuuton or Raiton to any degree in all likelihood, he has a natural Bakuton that is instinctual and also the potential for something even greater... he may very well be able to be guided into forming his own Kekkai Touta given time and an experienced mentor who already possesses one."

Han's eyes widened slightly at that bit of information, filing it away for later even as Oonoki told him to continue his report. "Well, aside from that, he seems to have inherited the legendary Uzumaki kekkai genkai as well. His skill with fuinjutsu increases every day and will likely surpass even your own by the time he reaches twelve. He's been at it for just under two years – ever since he learned how to write – and I daresay he is nearing Level Four, nearly a Sealing Adept. His greatest branch seems to lie in barrier seals of all things though he expressed much interest in space-time sealing arrays as well."

Oonoki nodded. "That is expected. Many young ninja aspiring to master the art find that branch particularly desirable though not many ever find any success in it. Whoever finds a way to replicate the Nidaime Hokage's legendary Hiraishin no Jutsu will be a deadly adversary indeed. Though, seeing how our spy reports place no Uzumaki anywhere else other than right here in Iwagakure with your... son, I see the highest potential in our village within his lifetime."

"Right, Tsuchikage-sama. Moving on to bukijutsu, long-range is no problem at all. Thanks to Naruto's Bakuton, precision is of little concern though he does seem a bit Obsessive-Compulsive with increasing it for some reason. As for close-combat, I think that within the next two years I would like to take him to Tetsu no Kuni to see my uncle. I could not learn the style, but I am quite sure young Naruto would have little problem with it."

Oonoki grinned at that, images flashing through his mind. "Oh, I think that would be a good idea. I already have an idea for just the team our youngest jinchuuriki will be placed on once he graduates the Academy... but your theory on his heightened intellect seems accurate. The instructors had no choice but to advance him years ahead. Apparently, he somehow had already read up on many things the first three years are centered around..."

Han had to smile under his mask. "That boy tore through texts at such an amazing rate, I tell you. I lost count of the amount of books I had to buy him to sate his appetite... everything from legends about the Rikudou Sennin to history, psychology, theory, tactics, sciences and everything in between. I even had to buy him three separate dictionaries for him to reference instead of constantly asking me to define words I never knew existed."

"Yes, he did happen to know quite a few things when arguing with my Chuunin upon facts they got wrong." Oonoki chuckled, remembering Miyashi's red face when she demanded Naruto's placement in another year so he would stop embarrassing her in front of her students. Any mistake and he tore into her in the most innocent way, making her have to study the books again herself just so she wouldn't suffer such indignity. "He got all the way to my granddaughter's class you know. A six year old in a room full of nine and ten year olds."

Han frowned. "Hai... being at such an excelled rate has done little for his social skills though, placing him at a disadvantage for making friends. I know he is picked on constantly and it doesn't help that all the children know of his heritage thanks to their parents. I don't know who leaked that little bit out among the masses... but I pray to the Gods that I never find them, otherwise they will feel the full wrath of my Steam Armor."

"I would not hold it against you, Han." The miniscule man shook his head. "Not one, but both of his burdens revealed before he even started the Academy. Luckily, we are closed off enough that its unlikely any of the other countries know the identity of our jinchuuriki."

Han nodded assent. "The last War ended very evenly and all Five Great Nations are suffering for it. When the Fourth happens, and it will – mark my words – I only hope that I and anyone I hold precious are far, far gone." The wizened old man shook his head.

"We will not likely last that long. Just three years ago, Kumo tried to take one of the Hyuuga heiresses. If the Hokage had wished it, he could have declared War but that man is too smart to allow another one to ravage the Nations so soon after the last." A sigh escaped his lips, one filled with sorrow and much experience.

"There is nothing to do for now, I suppose." Han joined the Tsuchikage with his own sigh. "Is there anything else I should impart upon you, Oonoki-sama?" To the jinchuuriki's surpise, the hovering man nodded. "What is it I can tell you then?"

"Naruto's mother, has he inherited any of her traits aside from her Fuuton affinity?" Han looked at him questioningly until suddenly realizing what it is what he meant.

"There have been no instances of him materializing his chakra into solid objects as of yet. Why do you ask?" Oonoki closed his eyes a moment before looking at the man again.

"Uzumaki Kushina had the strange ability to create constructs of chakra that were potent enough to restrain bijuu and even harm humans if she materialized weapons of her own chakra. Bakuhatsu Deidara could infuse his chakra into clay to form constructs of clay that acted as automatons until they collided with something or were triggered by his own chakra and erupted into an explosion of fire.

"Han, just think a moment. While Naruto was not born with the same mouths on his hands his father had – no doubt due to his mother's chakra and also the Kyuubi's influence – if he were to be able to create constructs from his – what will no doubt be – ungodly chakra reserves and infuse them with explosive energy, he could become a single-man army killer even without ever touching the Kyuubi's chakra."

Despite his immense surprise at the notion, Han somehow retained a cool exterior upon hearing such a thing. "That is true, Oonoki-sama... but Naruto is not a sum of his parents. The villagers are wrong about that notion. He has a different personality than them, he has different philosophy, he will likely form a very different style than them. The sins of Deidara and Kushina will be things Naruto has to live with and fight against every single day even more than the burden of the Nine-Tails he has to deal with every day.

"Naruto is unique, I have come to realize this. I knew Deidara from the moment my friend Gari took him in as an apprentice and I knew Kushina from the moment she was brought here by my squad. The two were chaotic, passionate, quickly angered and on the brink of insanity before they snapped, a slow process they led each other down. My son does share some qualities, I've found, but he also has his own unique characteristics.

"Just like his father, I know that he has a liking for artistic expression though he has not quite figured out the specifics about it. He does love the thought of one day joining the Blast Corps, just as Deidara always strove for.

"Like his mother, Naruto has proven himself to be willful and it is hard to break his drive once he has his sights set on something. Whenever he sees someone he can help – no matter how ill advised it might be – he tries to aid in their ailments. Unfortunately he also seems to have gained a bit of her short temper and during his early years I had to deal with that.

"Those are end of the similarities though, and my son goes so much deeper than that. He has a deep-seated need to see everyone in a better state of living than him while never even being able to see the good in himself. The first to point out a mistake made by him would be Naruto and he's the last to stop giving advice and help to anyone in need. I've seen him at the Academy before and the few of his class that recognize his intelligence are grateful to what he does."

Oonoki held up his hand to stop the man's ranting, a smile on his face. "I'm glad to see you take your role as father seriously, I was the same with my own children anytime someone did something I thought was criticism, but you misunderstood me. I simply was pointing out one of the branching Paths he might one day take if he had his mother's Adamantium Chakra Chains and the Infinite Chakra Contruction that comes with it. Ultimately, it is up to Naruto to decide his own fate, we both know this. So we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

Han calmed himself and nodded. "Hai... we'll just have to be patient."


	3. Chapter II

**A Village United**

**Chapter II: Genin Exam**

"Please put your pencils down now. Turn all tests over and await either myself or Miya-sensei take them up." The atmosphere of the classroom was extremely quiet and tense as the two Chuunin sensei went around, taking up sheets of paper from each and every genin hopeful. There were members of different ages, ranging from nine to twelve.

Some of them were fourth years thinking they had what it took to graduate early. Most were sixth years who had spent half their lives in preparation for this very moment. The very youngest of the group was the only nine year old, a blonde by the name of Uzumaki Naruto who sat in the very front row, middle seat on the right side of the room.

His hair spiked in the back and sides, covering his ears and reaching just above his shoulders. In the front, his right eye was covered, not a single part of that side of his face visible. His one visible eye was a blue just a few shades darker than the sky. On each cheek, this boy had three whisker-like marks on his pale skin and a slight smile on his face that looked devious when his eye's look of mischief was taken into account.

In the last three years Naruto's wardrobe had changed a bit to include wearing a blue haori and hakama pants and a scarlet obi. On the back of the haori was the Uzumaki spiral. On his hip, a ninjato was sheathed, the hilt being black with a section of blue cloth tied around it and the scabbard was as red as the tips of his hair.

As Miya-sensei approached him and took up his test, Naruto noted the look in her brown eyes, that odd mixture of fear and hatred nearly every adult looked upon him with and many his generation as well. He simply smiled her way, watching in odd satisfaction as she glared harder and took up his test. The Uzumaki waited patiently as each of the papers were picked up and dropped at the front of the class on the desk Haruko – the other sensei – usually sat at.

Once that finished, Haruko nodded and looked around at the children looking to become ninja. "Those will be graded by another Chuunin while Miya-sensei and I finish giving you the remainder of your Exam. Follow me out to the Training Grounds so we can get this taken care of." With a chorus of 'Hai, sensei!' the genin hopefuls followed after the two Chuunin until the group had arrived outside at the Academy Training Ground.

It wasn't much – not compared to some of the Chuunin and Jōnin Training Grounds – but it served its purpose. There were targets, training dummies and two sparring rings as well as a large field for more... destructive techniques that were to be tested. Haruko and Miya turned to look at the group as the former took out a clipboard. "Firstly, we need to test your taijutsu to ensure adequate skills for anything a genin might come against on a normal mission."

Miya motioned to the two rings as she continued his explanation. "Each match will last one minute or until one of you in unconscious. We will score you based on the results of these matches. Haruko-sensei and I will each proctor one match." At that statement, she pulled out her own clipboard.

Naruto paid attention as they called out the first names, Haruko called out the names of a civilian-born and also one of the Bakuhatsu – that clan who shared his bloodline but disowned him because of his biological father. Miya ended up calling two more civilian-born students. _So... Haruko-sensei is in charge of the first half of the alphabet and Miya-sensei has the other. _He deduced as each of the matches began. The only thing really of note was that Kajin – his cousin from the Bakuhatsu – took out the civilian in one hit with an explosive punch.

Naruto watched as others went through their matches, both clan and civilian born students. The Tsuchikage's granddaughter – her name was Kurotsuchi, right? - took on a member of the Guntai Clan and won rather easily. Riku wasn't much on taijutsu anyways, as Naruto had found out over the last three years in this class. Other than those three, it seemed everyone else was about average and civilian born that might pass, but Naruto didn't find it likely.

Then his match came up. Miya called out the final two students. "Souryuu Torin and... Uzumaki Naruto." The woman spoke the second name with obvious distaste, but each of them made their way to the ring. Naruto and Torin nodded to each other with smiles.

"Good luck, Naruto." The grandson of the very man who owned the scribe supplies shop that gave Naruto the necessary ingredients for his fuinjutsu training was a sixth year of just under five feet with short brown hair, pale blue eyes and wore an altered PEAK uniform which was all black with the pockets on his pants holding different scrolls.

"Good luck to you as well, Torin." Naruto replied, happy his sparring partner was one of the few classmates he had that didn't care about his heritage. Miya looked between them and her hand came down, signaling the two to begin their match.

Slipping a pair of kunai into his hands, Naruto immediately dashed forward, chakra enhancing his movement to a degree no boy his age should have. His right blade came up in a diagonal arc that Torin used his own kunai to parry, already used to the boy's style through hours of practice together. "Not gonna be easy, Ruto." He remarked as a knee came up to the blonde's face, only for him to jump back away from it.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Naruto channeled explosive chakra into them and it sent him rocketing forward at a speed Torin couldn't react, unable to dodge a kick slammed right into his midsection that sent him skidding to the edge of the ring as he coughed blood up and spat it onto the floor. "Not gonna be easy, Torin." Naruto sent back with a devious smirk, making the other boy grin.

In the next instant, each of them launched forward in a flurry of slashes that seemed to be evenly matched until the shorter boy slipped into his opponent's guard and took his feet from under him, tripping him and immediately moving above him with a kunai to his throat, grinning sheepishly.

"Winner: Uzumaki Naruto..." Miya breathed out through gritted teeth. Spinning the kunai in his hand before holstering it, Naruto helped his friend to his feet while smiling at the angry woman, an all too innocent look in his eyes that spoke volumes of his inward amusement.

Haruko nodded to himself and cleared his throat. "Alright, the next portion will be a showcase of ninjutsu skills. The required ninjutsu are the Kawarimi, Henge, any type of Bunshinjutsu and for a little extra credit, you can shoot for another ninjutsu you've mastered if you've got one." Once more, it was alphabetical.

"Think you're gonna make genin, Ruto?" Torin asked of the much younger boy who smirked.

"Of course, Torin. otou-sama has been training me for this day and I've made sure to study as much as I can for when I make shinobi. I just know I aced the Written Exam, so all that's left are the practical exams, and those will be easy enough because of otou-sama."

Torin rubbed the back of his head, chuckling at the boy. "I suppose you have a point. I'm just glad I have you to help me. Jiji and tou-san aren't much in the way of ninja and with kaa-chan always on missions... there's just no way that I would be very confident without your help." Naruto grinned to the boy, single eye closed.

"It's no problem at all, Torin. I don't mind helping my friends. Doesn't hurt that you seem to be a quick learner either." Torin smiled back as they heard an explosion, not even looking up. "Well, Kajin wanted that extra credit." Naruto nodded once.

"Yeah, I already knew he would." Naruto noted as he saw his cousin smirk upon forming a large, black gash across the field. He shared the same blonde hair Naruto had but pulled into a tight ponytail with forest green eyes, wearing a black shirt, a fishnet shirt over that and dark red, almost black shorts. The two cousins made eye-contact, lightning momentarily flashing between them until the boy passed right by, ignoring Torin. The merchant's grandson sighed.

"Man... I can't stand that guy. How you two are related amazes me." Naruto smiled to Torin, chuckling.

"Well, Torin, legally speaking, we're not. I'm not, nor can I ever be, a member of the Bakuhatsu since they disowned my father's entire line, meaning no descendant of mine can even become one by marriage." The boy shook his head, sighing deeply.

"Man... clans are so troublesome..." Naruto merely continued to smile as Kurotsuchi went up, easily performing the three ninjutsu and then telling Miya she didn't want to do another. Right after was Guntai Riku. The boy wore a brown, ankle-length trench coat over a red , long-sleeve shirt and red PEAK pants, boots on his feet. Hanging from either of his hips was three curved kunai that resembled the mandibles of an ant. The most unique characteristic, though, was that from his forehead Riku had two red antennae protruding, twitching every so often.

He easily performed the Kawarimi, Henge and a **Doton: Iwa Bunshin **before performing handseals for his extra ninjutsu, which was the **Doton: Doryuuheki no Jutsu**. Once he was done, he headed back into the crowd of students. "They do produce skilled students though." Naruto explained. "I'm sure that the only ones that will make genin this time around will either be dedicated orphans, children of shinobi or clan ninja. Many civilian-born ninja don't put the work in until they fail at least once."

Torin nodded, thinking over that little bit as they watched the remaining students up until he was called up. The Academy ninjutsu were easy enough – his Bunshin just being the normal one – but Torin wasn't sure if he should reveal either of his other two jutsu until he looked at Naruto, who smiled at him, nodding. Stringing together three quick handseals, he ended on ram as he looked at Kajin, smiling at what he was doing. **Magen: Narakuma no Jutsu. **As payback for some of the things that boy had done to him, Torin formed a weak illusion upon the boy that had him screaming and jumping away from the ground, saying some nonsense about spiders.

Haruko quickly made Torin stop as he called out Naruto's name, signaling the final Uzumaki to come up to the front. "Would you mind Henging into someone?" Naruto nodded, forming a ram seal and – in a cloud of smoke – forming his image into that of Han, who was the most familiar person he had in his life. Haruko's nod was his signal to revert back to his form. "Now, please perform a Kawarimi with one of the stones around here."

In another cloud of smoke, a large stone took Naruto's place before they switched again, Haruko nodding and writing on his clipboard. "Lastly, a clone of your choice." Forming a few handseals, he ended on the tiger before tossing out a shuriken from his pouch, causing an explosion as it hit the floor. **"Bakuton: Goubaku Bunshin no Jutsu!" **The explosion stabilized after a moment, pulling itself back in to form an identical copy to Naruto.

Haruko was impressed with the bunshinjutsu, but the boy was a protege, so he wasn't overly shocked. "And, what about an extra ninjutsu?" The blonde motioned for the clone to go into the field, watching as he went out there quickly. Holding the ram seal, Naruto focused his chakra. **"Katsu!" **The bunshin suddenly exploded violently, the compacted energy re-released itself to form a crater where it stood, charring the surrounding field for a few meters to show its range.

Writing on his clipboard, Haruko nodded to himself. "Alright, lastly is an accuracy test." Looking directly at the two blondes with active sub-elemental kekkai genkai, he sternly spoke the next line. "_Non-explosive _projectiles only."

Naruto chuckled, grinning sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Right, sensei... I'll make sure not to wreck the targets... again."  
Haruko sighed in exasperation as he herded them to the final test. Naruto waited behind for Torin, spying the new addition to the group as a white-haired girl from fifth year. "Naomi-chan?" The girl looked up and smiled to the blonde. "I was wondering when you would get here."

The girl's black eyes narrowed dangerously. "You couldn't have looked for me, then?" Placing gloved hands on her hips, she puffed her cheeks out angrily. Naruto smiled, eyes closed, making her sigh. "Whatever..."

Opening his eyes again, he saw Naomi was dressed as normal, wearing a dark brown top that exposed just a few inches of her midriff and shorts that ended a little under halfway to her knees, a straw hat atop her head that hid the bun of hair he knew was there. "Confident in your chances, Naomi?" Torin wondered as they headed over to the targets. She huffed in annoyance at the question.

"Of course. I've been training hard since I was able to walk just for this. I'll finally be able to leave that damn orphanage after this, you know." From seemingly nowhere, a kunai appeared in her hand, spinning around her finger by the whole. "That's what I'm most looking forward to. Then those matrons can't boss me around anymore."

Naruto shook his head, amusement sprinkling his eye. "Well, that's one reason to become a trained assassin." Naomi sent a mild glare his way. "What?"

"Not all of us want to be frontliners, idiot." She pointed out. "There is more than just one branch of work for shinobi. I, for one, would much rather become a medic nin than be a part of the Blast Corps." The blonde nodded, smiling.

"Well, you'll have to make genin first if you really want that." He pointed out. "But I know you have what it takes." The snowy-haired girl smiled, nodding her thanks at his confidence in her.

"Thanks... your help didn't hurt either." He grinned. "Looks like I'm up." She pointed out as she headed up, launching shuriken and kunai that gave her a 17/20 score. Soon after she came back, the others went by quickly until Torin got fifteen. Naruto, thanks to hundreds of hours of training was one of the two to get a perfect score, only Kurotsuchi tying with him.

Haruko nodded. "Thank you all, the results will be in tomorrow. To those that pass, you will be informed within the week of the date and time of your team placements and given your hitai-ites. Thank you and to those that are not successful, there's always next year. I will be seeing you soon."


End file.
